I am travelling to China in June/July, and have 11 or so days to fill from the 20th of June to the 1st of July. My starting point will be Hong Kong, and I need to finish up in Beijing on the 1st to join a tour.

I'm wondering if anyone can offer some suggestions on places they have enjoyed that I could visit? To be honest I'm a bit overwhelmed by choice at the moment, which is why I thought I'd ask for suggestions.

I'm pretty open to seeing anything, although I do really enjoy hiking and outdoor activities.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Mini

2.
Posted byjohnson.j(Budding Member 20 posts) 6y
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Hi Mini,

because beijing is in the north of China and hongkong is in the south, so from my view, you in 11days may visit the palces: hongkong--shenzhen--xiamen-hangzhou--shanghai--beijing;

3.
Posted byCyberia(Travel Guru 1839 posts) 6y
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Distances can be great in China and while bus or train is OK for short journeys, you should consider flying for long journeys. I found flights around the same price as a rail ticket when I was last there.

When you say "joining Beijing on a tour", does that mean of Beijing? Certainly the city deserves some time, at least 3 days.

It might be just me but not that much in Shanghai and it is a bit out of the way. Have you seen the terracotta warriors in Xi'an yet? There are a small set not far away but hardly anyone ever gets there. I found them with the help of a Lonely Planet guide.

4.
Posted byjohnson.j(Budding Member 20 posts) 6y
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Hi ,It is me again, what the route I recommend to you yesterday is follow the direction from south to north, i think it is the best way to reach in beijing. of couse xian is a selectable place if you have the time, and you are interested in underground terraccota warriors. but on fact, xian is a deviated point in the route from hongkong to beijing.

I am now thinking of going to Lijiang and some of the surrounding area in my spare 10 days.. a friend has recommended it, and I have seen some of their photos, it looks amazing.

Thoughts?

8.
Posted byjohnson.j(Budding Member 20 posts) 6y
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Yes, of cause you can go lijiang and the surrounding area. The instead route is now: hongkong-shenzhen-kunming-lijiang-beijing.Reach lijiang you have to via kunming and stay there 1 day, take the train/bus to lijiang on the next day, it will spend you 8-9hour in the way.

Lijiang is a place which amazed by western tourists particularly, people love there for enjoying the sun shine and climbing the snow mountain due to its high height above the sea. you also can visit lijiang old city architecture; traditional minority life; western bar/pub street...

some slips for your attention:1. the temperature in mountains is much lower than in normal city2. prepare coat ( rain coat); sun glass; anti-sun lotion...3. be careful about the oxygen deficit

Have a good time.

Johnson

9.
Posted byitchyfeetblog(Budding Member 3 posts) 6y
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Hi Mini - first of all, great time to go and I know the feeling about being overwhelmed! I did a similar tour last year in China starting in Beijing, heading south towards Hong Kong. I thought you might want to see how it went - I have at least 4 huge blogs on where I went and what I saw -snip-

I didn't plan any of it but used availability of transport (overground train or short plane trips) to help plan. I didn't get to Shanghai due to this, but I didn't miss it as I saw so much! On my own personal wish list for China I had the Great Wall (a well-preserved section rather than one in Beijing that was said to be over-touristed), pandas, the Terracotta Army and plenty of local foods to try like Szechuan pepper! Some of those had specific locations so that helped. I travelled a little too quickly for my liking though - I didn't stay anywhere for more than 5 days which meant I didn't get a chance to soak up the atmosphere.

Unlike Vietnam and Thailand, there aren't so many places with free wi-fi but there were places you could access the internet if you wanted to book as you go. I'd recommend also looking at organised tours, either to book and meet people, or for travel inspiration for your own tour!

Definitely take with you: sunscreen and a rain coat. Sounds like a crazy combination but the climate of Beijing in July especially can be hot as well as have a lot of rainfall! Hope that helps you! Have a great time!

[ Edit: Sorry, no promos please. ]

10.
Posted byitchyfeetblog(Budding Member 3 posts) 6y
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Not quite sure why my last comment was reported? Essentially I was saying I've done China before about the same time as you last year - chronicled my journey on my blog which might help you decide where to go and what to expect. I went Beijing > Xi'an > Chengdu > Shenzhen (coast) > Hong Kong. As I said before - I picked places based upon what I wanted to see there so Beijing was the Wall, Xi'an for the Terracotta Warriors, Chengdu for pandas and Shenzhen for some off the beaten track exploring and of course the beautiful coast (highly recommend it to get away from too many tourists!).